Cedar City woman and dogs bring comfort to responders after Las Vegas shooting

Shari Swift talks to The Spectrum about taking her specially trained dogs Shasha and Shea down to Las Vegas after the shooting to help people struggling with PTSD, October 5, 2017.
Jordan Allred / The Spectrum & Daily News

After more than 30 years working as an emergency responder, Shari Swift knew what many of the police officers and paramedics responding to the scene of the largest mass shooting in modern history were going through.

The Cedar City resident had dealt with her fair share of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following her retirement a few years ago. The only thing that helped was her PTSD dog, Shasha. The large German Shepherd was trained to help her cope with nightmares, memory problems and other symptoms of PTSD.

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Shasha and Shea are specially trained dogs that went down to Las Vegas after the shooting to help people struggling with PTSD, October 5, 2017.(Photo: Jordan Allred / The Spectrum & Daily News)

She knew Shasha and her daughter, Shea, would be able to do the same for the emergency responders as they gradually begin to process the gruesome images and traumatic experiences they had encountered following the Las Vegas shooting.

“It just immediately tore up my heart,” Swift said. “I thought there had to be a way we could get down there.”

After checking with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, she loaded up Shasha in the truck for the two-hour trip to Las Vegas on Tuesday. There was work to be done for the critical incident stress dog and her handler.

For Swift, it was an overwhelming experience as she walked up and down the desolate strip with Shasha by her side. The streets felt silent, nervous and sad — a far cry from the typical fun Las Vegas atmosphere she had grown accustomed to.

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Shasha and Shea are specially trained dogs that went down to Las Vegas after the shooting to help people struggling with PTSD, October 5, 2017.(Photo: Jordan Allred / The Spectrum & Daily News)

But as soon as the officers saw Shasha approach in her work vest a smile would creep onto their faces. Many who had been working for up to 36 hours let their wall down for one moment to give the fluffy dog a good scratch behind the ear.

During one special encounter, a Las Vegas Metro Police Officer knelt down to his knees to pet Shasha. He immediately broke down in tears as she placed her paw on his shoulder.

“That’s what needs to happen,” she said. “It’s a moment of crying. It’s a moment that is a step toward healing.”

For many of the officers, Swift explained they likely will not confront their experiences until days later as the events following the Las Vegas shooting are still unfolding. Even veteran officers and paramedics had never seen anything like the mass carnage that occurred after Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest festival, killed 58 people and injuring hundreds others.

But, for one brief moment, seeing the fuzzy and friendly faces of both Shasha can make them smile again.

Critical incident stress dogs and peer support dogs can help them process the situation quicker, which can alleviate the effects of PTSD and expedite healing.

“It’s important to get these dogs out there and let people know there’s a space where they can go,” she said. “Many don’t let themselves feel until they’re done with their job, but this is an important step.”

Shari Swift talks to Spectrum news reporter Bree Burkitt about taking her dogs Shasha and Shea down to Las Vegas after the shooting to help people struggling with PTSD, October 5, 2017.(Photo: Jordan Allred / The Spectrum & Daily News)

After seeing so many positive reactions, Swift knew she wasn’t done just yet. She made the drive again on Tuesday and Wednesday – this time also bringing Shasha’s daughter, Shae, to help. Typically, critical incident stress dogs can work for approximately six to seven hours before the surrounding energy can take a toll on them. Special precautions must also be taken to ensure they drink water every hour and that the pavement isn’t too tough on their paws. Each night, they would return to Cedar City so the dogs could decompress in their own environment before returning to work again the next day.

Each day, both Swift and her two German Shepherds were rewarded when their wagging tails were met with smiling faces in the wake of a tragedy.